Best Mafia Novels

After sacrificing her own life to save a young billionaire, Anne became the wife of Edric Montray overnight. However, it was only a loveless contract marriage that would last two years, just until Edric's ex-girlfriend returned from studying abroad. Anne thought she could melt Edric's cold heart, but all she received was icy resistance and words that pierced her like knives. One passionate, mistaken night gave Anne a spark of hope, only for it to be crushed when Bella, Edric's ex, returned the very next day. Anne gave up, signed the divorce papers, and disappeared. Unexpectedly, a car accident brought back the memories Anne had lost for three years! From that day on, the woman named Anne completely vanished, the underworld welcomed back the long-lost Mafia Queen after three years! Edric went mad searching for his ex-wife, only to spiral deeper into insanity when he saw a seductive, stunning woman with Anne's face... holding the hand of a little boy who looked exactly like him. "Anne..." "There is no more Anne." The ex-wife, no, now known as Mary Salvaria, the Mafia Boss ruling the entire underworld of the Union State. Edric, how will you win back the heart of this entirely new woman?

I sat at the head of the mahogany table, the heavy heirloom emeralds around my neck marking me as the future Queen of the Cosa Nostra. But the man beside me—Jax Viles, the most feared Don in New York—had his hand resting possessively on the thigh of the woman sitting to his right. She wasn't his fiancée. I was. The humiliation didn't stop at dinner. Jax moved her into my home, turned my dance studio into her closet, and when she pushed me down a flight of stairs, he stepped over my broken body to comfort her because she was "shaken up." He started a bloody gang war just to defend her honor, yet ignored my desperate calls warning him of an ambush. To him, I wasn't a partner. I was furniture—a fixture that was expected to be silent and useful. He would burn the world to ash for her, but for me, he wouldn't even skip a meeting. So, while he was out celebrating his victory for her, I didn't wait for him to come home. I left the engagement ring in the trash can next to the toilet. On his desk, I left a single note: "I release you from the oath. I hope she's worth the war." By the time he realized his mistake and came looking for his shadow, I was already gone, ready to become the Queen of my own life.

Hana is living a quiet life as an art teacher, a peaceful façade for the most dangerous truth of all she is Kurai-Hime, the exiled legendary assassin of a mighty Japanese Yakuza clan. Her past shatters her present when she is forced to honor a blood pact: replace her dead sister in a marriage alliance with Luca Conti, the formidable heir to an Italian mafia empire. Luca, a devastatingly handsome and ruthless "Smiling Tiger," expects a meek, political bride. He is charmed by Hana's ethereal beauty and delicate demeanor, vowing to protect his innocent "dove" from the brutal realities of his world. Hana plays her part perfectly, all while using her brilliant, tactical mind to analyze every weakness in his fortress and his organization. The fragile masquerade explodes when Luca is ambushed. Cornered and wounded, he expects a tragic end only to watch his seemingly fragile fiancée unleash a storm of elegant violence, wielding a katana to cut down his attackers. In that bloody moment, his shock transforms into awe, and a shocking, undeniable truth: he is falling in love with the ruthless warrior, not the gentle illusion. Now, their marriage of convenience becomes a dangerous game of hidden blades and raw revelation. As Hana's true identity begins to surface, she must navigate the venomous politics of Luca's family, the simmering rage of his rivals, and the lethal pull of her own past. To survive, this Yakuza weapon and her Italian Don must learn to fight not as protector and protected, but as equal partners. But when a final, devastating threat targets them both, they face an impossible choice will they sacrifice each other for the dynasties that created them, or become the most feared power couple the underworld has ever seen?

To save on the outrageous wages of hired movers, I, Jade Lawson, bought a werewolf who had been returned three times from a secondhand trading site. The seller warned me he was vicious, wild, and prone to biting. What caught my eye wasn't his temperament. It was his build. Six foot three, solid muscle, the kind of body that looked like it could haul six hundred pounds of packages without breaking a sweat. When he arrived, he was indeed vicious. He kept sneaking into my room at night, pressing his scorching body against mine and grinding his teeth against the back of my neck. I thought he was teething. Or worse, developing rabies. I contacted the seller immediately to request a return. After hearing my description, the seller went quiet for a long time. "We don't recommend returning him." "He's not teething. Werewolves only feel the urge to bite the back of their mate's neck during their rut phase. It's a mate-marking instinct." "He wants you. He's trying to get you to bear his pups."

I was the Mafia Queen of the Castillo family, but I died like a dog in the damp underground interrogation room. My sweet, fragile sister Chiara lured me into the cells, only to wrap a garrote wire tightly around my throat. As the wire sliced into my windpipe and I choked on my own blood, a small figure stepped out of the shadows. It was my ten-year-old son, Leo. He watched his mother being strangled to death with cold, dead eyes, his past words echoing in my dying mind. "I don't want a weak commoner for a mother! I wish Aunt Chiara gave birth to me!" Chiara pulled the wire tighter, her mask of innocence melting into a grotesque, triumphant sneer. "You never deserved him, Siena. You never deserved the crown." I died in pure, suffocating agony, my soul screaming into the dark that if there was a next life, I would carve the flesh from their bones. Then, I jolted awake, my lungs gasping for air against expensive silk sheets. I wasn't in the bloody cells. I was in the luxurious Master Suite, and hovering over me was my ruthless husband, the Dark Don, Dante Castillo. I had been reborn. Leo was only a five-month-old baby sleeping down the hall, and tomorrow, my treacherous sister would arrive at the estate begging for sanctuary. This time, I won't play the weak, forgiving sister. I will make them beg for death.

In a world where shadows and magic collide, a forbidden passion ignites between two souls from rival factions. As the heir to a powerful crime syndicate, he never expected to lose his heart to a woman possessing mystical secrets that could destroy his empire. Amidst brutal power struggles and ancient enchantments, they must navigate a landscape of betrayal. Their survival depends on a bond that defies both mafia laws and supernatural fate.

She needed one night to forget her pain. He needed one night to feel nothing. Serena Vale never expected a stranger's touch to change her life. Lucas Blackwood never expected a woman to walk away from him. But secrets don't stay buried. And when the truth returns, it comes with a heartbeat.

I woke up ten days after being reborn, right on the day of my engagement to the ambitious prosecutor, Barrett. Before the ceremony, my illegitimate half-sister, Karly, intercepted my heirloom brooch. Also reborn, she smugly stole my fiancé, desperate for the glorious future of a powerful politician's wife. "He needs a wife who can help him rise, not an empty porcelain doll." She didn't know that in our past life, Barrett had ruthlessly traded me to a terrifying Mafia Don just to secure his political future. I happily let her take my nightmare, but my brief taste of freedom shattered instantly. To maintain power, my family's Matriarch ruthlessly married me off to the notorious Carney mafia family instead. On my wedding night, my playboy husband abandoned me for his screaming mistress, leaving me completely humiliated in front of the entire estate. The next morning, my vicious mother-in-law tried to hand me the family's financial ledgers. It looked like the ultimate power, but I knew it was a gilded trap meant to make me the scapegoat for their rotting, bankrupt syndicate. Karly paraded her perfect new life, waiting for me to be devoured by the underworld. My new in-laws laid deadly traps at every turn, expecting me to quietly drown with their sinking ship. Even the Dark Don of Chicago was stalking me from the shadows, furious that I had been given to another man. Everyone thought I was just a helpless pawn trapped in a monster's cage. But I was no longer the naive girl from my past life. Since they decided to throw me to the wolves, I would make sure I had the teeth to tear this whole world down.

Ten years ago, I saved the life of New York’s most dangerous mob boss with a sewing kit. I gave Ethan Reed my youth, my loyalty, and my heart. But the moment his ex-girlfriend Chloe returned, I became disposable. It didn't matter that she had abandoned him. It didn't matter that she poisoned me, killing the unborn child Ethan didn't even know we had. When Chloe needed a kidney transplant due to her drug abuse, Ethan didn't protect me. He strapped me to a gurney. "It's just one kidney, Ava. You owe me." He harvested my organ to save the woman who murdered his heir. And when he was done, he decided I was a loose end. He dragged me to the edge of a bridge in the pouring rain. "This is how it ends," he said, his eyes devoid of love. "A tragic suicide." He pushed me into the freezing water, watching me drown to secure his happy ending. He thought I was dead. He thought the canary had sung its last song. But he forgot one thing. I was the chemist who built his empire. When his greatest rival pulled me out of the river, I didn't pray for salvation. I prayed for revenge. Three months later, I walked into his charity gala on the arm of his enemy, wearing a white suit and a smile sharp enough to cut glass. Ethan dropped to his knees when he saw me. But I wasn't there to forgive him. I was there to burn his house down.

Diana Wales, known as "Assassin Bloody," was a top assassin with a secret past. She was an orphan who became a skilled spy and killer in New York. Diana fell deeply in love with James Fallon, who had saved her from drowning. However, James betrayed her, cheating on her and attempting to kill her. Given a second chance, Diana was reborn as Brielle Smith. She remembered her past and sought revenge against those who hurt her. An unexpected and whirlwind marriage led her into the arms of James' uncle,Enzo Ricci who turned out to be the ruthless mafia boss of New York City. With every resource at her disposal and secret identities to unlock, Brielle's revenge was within reach. But what happens when the ruthless mafia boss becomes clingy?

My husband, the Capo of New York, gripped my hand as we walked into the soundproofed room. He wasn't there to save me. He was there to watch the family doctor carve out my mind. A stranger named Sofia claimed I had sold her to a brothel twelve years ago. It was a lie. But Dante looked at me with cold marble eyes, believing the woman sobbing in his arms over the wife he had vowed to protect. "Sit, Elena," he ordered. He strapped me into the chair. He watched as they injected liquid fire into my veins to force a confession. He dragged me to the kennels, forcing me to feed the dogs I was terrified of, and watched as they tore into my flesh. He even locked me in a freezer to "cool off" my jealousy. The final straw wasn't the pain. It was hearing him plan a Vow Renewal with Sofia, intending to parade me as her Maid of Honor to teach me humility. I realized then that Elena Moretti had to die. So, I set the hospital room on fire. I left my wedding ring in the ashes and vanished into the night. Six months later, Dante found me in Paris. He fell to his knees, begging for forgiveness. I looked at him with dead eyes and handed him a knife. "Kill yourself," I said. "That is the only way I will believe you are sorry."

For seven years, I was known as the "Caged Canary"—the orphan ward of the ruthless Don, Autry Villarreal. I wore his silver star necklace like a dog tag, mistaking his cold control for protection. Then came the breaking news alert that shattered my world: Autry was marrying Cassie Turner to end a decade-long turf war. He didn't just break my heart; he let her destroy my home. When Cassie ordered a bulldozer to rip up the rose garden my deceased father had planted, Autry stood on the patio and watched. He chose political strategy over my only living memory of my parents. "It is necessary," he told me, handing me a briefcase full of cash to disappear. "This saves lives." I realized then that he wasn't my protector; he was my jailer. I left the money, discarded his necklace, and vanished into the night. Five years later, I returned to New York not as his ward, but as J.B., a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer with a diamond ring on my finger from a man who actually cherished me. Autry didn't handle my freedom well. He cornered me in a car, staging a paparazzi photo to look like a passionate embrace, desperate to ruin my engagement. "I destroyed Cassie for you," he claimed, revealing he had leaked his own ex-fiancée's crimes to clear my name. "I cleaned the slate. I can give you the world now." He expected gratitude. He expected me to fall back into his arms. I looked him dead in the eye and posted a selfie with my fiancé instead. "I don't want your world, Autry. I'm done living in the dark."

I was arranging white lilies on the cold marble of my husband's grave when I saw a ghost. Walking through the cemetery gates was a man who looked exactly like my dead husband, Dante. Logic said it was his twin brother, Matteo. But a wife knows the slope of a man's shoulders. She knows the arrogant tilt of his chin. My husband hadn't been blown up in a car bomb three years ago. He had faked his death to steal his brother's rank, his fortune, and his mistress. For three years, I had forced our son, Leo, to kiss a photograph goodnight. We lived in a damp, peeling apartment, surviving on the "charity" of the Family. Meanwhile, Dante was living in a mansion, driving cars that cost more than my life, playing house with another woman. When he came to our cramped apartment to drop off the monthly "pension" money, pretending to be Uncle Matteo, he didn't look at me with love. He looked at his watch. When Leo ran to hug him, shouting "Papa," Dante peeled the boy's small arms off his expensive suit like he was removing a piece of lint. "Don't call me that," he snapped. "I am your Uncle." My grief turned into ice. He chose another woman's comfort over his own son's hunger. I grabbed Leo's hand and walked out the door. "You walk away, and you get nothing!" Dante shouted after me. "You'll be on the street!" I didn't stop. I walked straight to the black SUV idling at the curb. The window rolled down, revealing Salvatore Vitiello. The Don. The most lethal man in the city. "Get in, Elena," he commanded. I opened the door and slid onto the leather seat next to the devil himself. As we drove away, leaving my husband in the dust, I realized I had just traded a liar for a killer. And I didn't regret it for a second.

I stood over the fresh dirt of my four-year-old son's grave. My husband, the Don of the Stark family, didn't hold my hand for comfort. He only adjusted his cuffs and checked that the diamond necklace he forced on me looked good for the cameras. "Stop crying," he whispered into my hair. "You're making a scene." Two days later, I woke up to the sound of shattering glass in the nursery. A strange boy stood there, smiling over the broken remains of my son's favorite snow globe. "This is Cody," my mother-in-law said coldly. "He's family. He stays." When I demanded he leave, Eli looked at me with dead eyes. "Material things can be replaced, Harper. The boy stays." Suspicion led me to the library door, where I heard the impossible truth. Cody wasn't a distant cousin. He was Eli's illegitimate son. And worse—while my son was drowning alone in the pool, Eli hadn't been at a business meeting. He had been in bed with his mistress. I realized then that the silver bracelet he had gifted me wasn't jewelry. I pried it open and found the blinking red light of a tracker. I was a prisoner in a cage of gold. So, I decided to die. I staged my suicide at the bridge, vanished into the night, and paid a shadow doctor to wipe my memories clean. I became Avery. I was happy. I was free. Until six months later, when a man in a black suit walked into my small-town cafe and looked at me with the eyes of a wolf. "Harper," he growled. "Come home."

I spent a year scrubbing floors in my fiancé’s club, hiding my identity as the daughter of the Capo dei Capi. I needed to know if Connor Bishop was a King worth merging empires with, or just a puppet. The answer came walking in wearing a neon pink dress. Jaden Juarez, a civilian he was infatuated with, didn't just treat me like a servant; she deliberately poured scalding espresso over my hand because I refused to be her valet. The pain was blinding, my skin blistering instantly. I video-called Connor, showing him the burn, expecting him to enforce the code of our world. Instead, seeing his investors watching, he panicked. He chose to sacrifice me to save face. "Get on your knees," he roared through the speaker. "Beg her pardon. Show her the respect she deserves." He wanted the daughter of the most dangerous man on the East Coast to kneel to his mistress. He thought he was showing strength. He didn't realize he was looking at a woman who could burn his entire world to ash with a single phone call. I didn't cry. I didn't beg. I simply hung up the phone and locked the kitchen doors. Then, I dialed the one number everyone in the underworld feared. "Dad," I said, my voice cold as steel. "Code Black. Bring the papers." "And send the wolves."

Betrayal shatters a woman's world when her husband gifts her late mother’s cherished home to his mistress. This cruel act ignites a fierce desire for justice within her. As she navigates a dangerous path of revenge, she unexpectedly crosses paths with a powerful and enigmatic mafia figure. Their fates become intertwined in a high-stakes world where love and vengeance collide, forcing her to risk everything to reclaim her legacy and find redemption.

An accidental act of heroism reshaped Sera's life entirely. She lost her sight saving the grandmother of a stranger. In return for her goodness, she was forced into marriage with the old woman's grandson, Lucian Vitale. He was a mysterious businessman with no interest in love, and as people whispered, colder than ice. Given her circumstances, Sera had no choice but to accept. She became his pretend wife, bound by contract. It was a kind of relationship she'd never imagined living. Sera had never planned to fall for a man she'd never seen. But with every touch, every murmur from Lucian, she was slowly pulled under by longing and feelings that should never have taken root. In darkness, she learned to love-and to bleed. Then came the day her vision returned. She heard a truth that shattered her world and tore at her heart. Frightened beyond reason, Sera ran and vanished. She carried a secret in her womb: the child of their passionate nights together. Four years slipped by. A man stepped back into her life. Same voice, same scent, same way his hands found hers... but he did not know her. He had amnesia. Can Sera escape the man who once meant everything to her? Or is this fate's way of calling them back to settle what they began-in their beds, their hearts, and the secrets that still wait to be told? Between lies, desire, and memories... will they choose each other still?

I was trained to seduce, to deceive, and to kill if I had to. Love was never part of the mission. My body became my weapon, the one thing no man could ever truly own. I couldn't give life so I learned to use sex as a tool to take whatever I wanted. As one of O.A.S.I.S.'s top operatives, I've faced warlords, dictators, and men who thought they ruled the world. None of them ever got under my skin until billionaire playboy, Zayne Beaumont, walked into my crosshairs. He's infuriatingly charming, dangerously beautiful, and the reason my pulse forgets its rhythm. But when his past comes for him in the form of Dominik D'Angelo, the ruthless Mafia Don who wants him dead, my world fractures in ways no training could prepare me for. Because Dominik doesn't just want revenge. He wants me. Now I'm trapped between two men. Both powerful, dangerous, and willing to burn the world to claim me. And I'm the prize neither of them intends to lose.

Meet Two different Families. They are the two most dangerous Mafias in the whole of Italy, across Sicily and to this day, no other clan stands a chance against them. First Family. Name: Cactus Clan Name: Nightshade Clan Godmother, Serena, the head of the clan. A woman who is feared even by powerful men. She's a definition of craziness. She's well know for being a crazy witch that nobody wants to mess with. Erica, 25 years old, the first daughter, another witch who took after their mother without any single difference in character. She is very obedient to the core as she follows whatever their mother says without bothering to think about it. She's a badass fighter and can't go a day without spilling blood. Venetta, 23 years old. Second daughter and the craziest girl you might ever encounter. You can never understand her mood. It fluctuates... one minute she's smiling, the next second she's something else...and the reason is she's a drug addict. She sniffs like her life depends on it. Jazzlyn, 21 years old. She has no single similarity to her other siblings. Not like she was hated but she wasn't loved like the others. She was not allowed to go to any mission because she wasn't trained and was regarded as weakling. Her offense was that she had a weak heart. She had never gotten things right. She has badly wanted to train, wanted to go to mission but it was basically her fault and nobody's that she wasn't good. She keeps on trying and still can't. She can't even handle a gun. She was always left out during missions. One crazy thing she enjoys doing is cutting herself. She loves making herself bleed. * Second Family. Name: Truce. Clan Name: Hades fruit Clan Godfather, Padrino. The only one who's not scared of Serena. Instead he's also feared by everyone and every other clan in Italy, except Serena's though. Renzo, First Son, 25 years old. A playboy, bully and a dangerous killer. Padrino trust him more than anyone in the world cos he does not believe in love. Ace, second son, 24 years old. He's a playboy also and a drug addict. He went schooling in the states and ended up making a transfer back to Italy. He's a nice person and at the same time cold. And then we have, Glacier. 24 years old. He is merely a tool. Crazy, right? The son of Padrino, a tool? He's the most hated one in the family and clan. Even though he's one of them. He was never trained, not even how to defend himself but surprisingly, he had his first kill at the age of ten. He gets beaten up even when Renzo and Ace makes the mistakes. He gets beaten like a thief and he was used to the countless and ugly bruises all over his body. He doesn't talk, always alone, a weirdo. Amidst all this, Glacier is a strikingly handsome young man. He is the very definition of what it means to be devoid of mercy. He has no heart....he has been taught never to smile, laugh or frown. His expression is always unreadable. No one can decrypt his thoughts. After his first kill at the age of ten which was a shock to Padrino, he started leading every mission and decides who will accompany him. Everyone knows better to avoid his wrath, except for Renzo, who never backs down, though he is no match for Glacier. * Everything is all about competition to both families. Both families are sworn enemies for reasons unknown and they succeeded in passing the hatred on and on to their children. In a single word, they are bloody enemies and there's even a rule guiding that. A Nightshade must not be seen getting intimate with an Hades fruit and vice versa. They shouldn't be seen talking or chitchatting. They should keep hating on each other. Now let's talk about the school they all attend... Acme University. The school popular slogan which was common among the students is if you can't beat the rich, melt away. Acme University is an institution where the sons and daughters of the wealthy and powerful Mafia families ruled the halls. This elite school was notorious for its lax academic standards And rampant bullying, where family connections and social hierarchy dictated the pecking order there. At the top of the food chain were the *Capi*, the heirs to the most powerful Mafia families[Hades fruit Clan and Nightshade Clan] Below the Capi were the *Sottocapi*, the children of mid-level Mafia families, who aspired to climb the ranks and gain favor with the Capi. The *Bourgeoisie*, the offspring of wealthy business families, often caught between loyalty to their families and the allure of Mafia power. At the bottom of the hierarchy were the *Plebeians* Let's stop here.... A war begins. But what happens when this war transforms into something unexpected, something forbidden? What dark secrets will be revealed? Curious to find out where the dark forbidden romance comes from. You can't miss this book for anything.

The fire that melted my skin should have been the end of my story. I had been the perfect mafia wife. I obeyed my father, I married Dante Genovese, and I even birthed his daughter. But in return, he locked us in a safehouse and lit a match. He watched from behind a steel door as I burned to ash, all because his mistress, Sofia, was jealous and wanted me out of the picture. My own brother had spiked my champagne to ensure I was too weak to fight back. I died screaming, my lungs filling with smoke and the scent of my husband's betrayal. But when I gasped awake, I wasn't in hell. I was in the bridal suite at the Ritz-Carlton. My hands were smooth. My skin was unblemished. The date on the digital clock burned red in the darkness. It was three years ago. It was the night of our engagement. The night it all began. Dante was in the bathroom right now, humming contentedly as he washed off the scent of his mistress before coming to claim his "lawful prize." In my past life, I waited for him. I let him take me, thinking my submission would earn his love. Not this time. I didn't run to the lobby for help. My family had sold me out. Instead, I took the elevator to the Penthouse floor. To the territory of the Outfit. To the door of Matteo Moretti—The Butcher. The only man ruthless enough to make Dante tremble. When the door opened, revealing a man with eyes like ice and a gun in his hand, I didn't flinch. I fell to my knees and looked up at the monster who could save me. "I am Elena Vitiello," I whispered, the drug in my veins setting my blood on fire. "And I have a proposition."

Brandon, my chubby, charming husband, thinks he's hiding secrets from me. Little does he know, from day one, I knew who he really was-the ruthless head of the Dragon Gang Mafia. But he never knew my true identity, not until my college first love reappeared. The jealousy that burned in Brandon's eyes was as fierce as a child's-raw, uncontrollable. The mafia leader, usually unshakable, would sacrifice everything to win me from John, even if it meant learning the truth about who I really am. But I wondered-would he still want me when all the secrets came to light?

May Boston is a sassy, powerful woman who owns the biggest fashion agency in the city. Her perfectly controlled world is thrown into chaos when she crosses paths with Luca, a homeless man suffering from amnesia. Out of pity, and curiosity, she lets him live with her. What she does not expect is to be bossed around in her own house, treated like a subordinate, and willingly doing everything he asks. Slowly, without realizing it, May falls deeply in love with him. That turns out to be her greatest mistake. Because before Luca lost his memory, he was the ruthless king of the largest Mafia group in Italy, Oliver de Luca

For four years, I was the invisible baker's daughter who memorized Dante Vitiello’s routine. I baked stomach-friendly meals for the Underboss of New York, ensuring his ulcer didn't kill him, all while loving him from the shadows. But when I collapsed from exhaustion in his gym, he didn't help me. He looked at me with pure revulsion and asked his guard: "Is she dead? Call pest control." To him, I wasn't a girl; I was a stain that smelled of "grease and desperation." When the Capo’s daughter framed me for stealing family secrets, Dante knew the truth. Yet, he stood silent. He didn't defend me. Instead, he handed me a scholarship check—hush money to exile me from the city, sacrificing my reputation to protect his political alliances. I took the money, not out of gratitude, but out of spite. I burned every sketch, every note, and every shred of the girl who had foolishly loved a monster. I realized I was just a disposable extra in his story. Five years later, I returned as a ruthless top-tier lawyer, engaged to a safe, clean man. Dante, now the Don, cornered me at a gala, looking at me with a desperate hunger he’d never shown before. "I broke you to save you," he claimed, his voice rough with regret. I pulled away and smiled, cold and unyielding. "You didn't save me, Dante. You burned the only person who ever truly loved you. And she’s never coming back."

I was tracing the gold paint on my own tombstone when a hand tapped me on the shoulder. It was Clayton. The same man who, five years ago, had left me bleeding out in a ditch because he didn't want to be late for my sister’s engagement party. "Die quietly, Ivy," he had said over the phone before hanging up. Now, standing over my grave, he dropped his cheap plastic flowers in shock. "Ivy? You're... we buried you." They hadn't buried me. They had buried an empty box to save face, mourning a "troubled" daughter they had actually discarded like broken trash the moment I became a liability. Clayton’s shock quickly turned to that familiar, arrogant anger. He accused me of faking my death for attention. He told me I was sick for putting the family through such pain. He even reached out to grab my arm, intending to drag me back to my father to apologize. "You're coming with me," he spat. "You owe us an explanation." But he made a fatal mistake. He thought he was talking to Ivy Dillard, the soft girl who cried when she skinned her knees. He didn't notice the town car waiting at the curb, or the man stepping out of it. Before Clayton’s fingers could graze my coat, a hand made of steel caught his wrist. Collin Richardson, the most feared Capo in Chicago, stepped between us. "Touch my wife again," Collin whispered, his voice promising violence. "And you lose the hand." I smiled at the terror draining the color from Clayton's face. I didn't come back from the dead to explain myself. I came back to bury them.